Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) incidence statistics

Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia accounted for 1% of all new cancer cases in the UK in 2017-2019.[1-4]

In females in the UK, chronic lymphocytic leukaemia accounted for less than 1% of all new female cancer cases. In males in the UK, it accounted for 1% of all new male cancer cases).

37% of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia cases in the UK are in females, and 63% are in males.

Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia incidence rates (European age-standardised (AS) rate Open a glossary item) for persons are significantly higher than the UK average in Northern Ireland and significantly lower than the UK average in Scotland and Wales. Rates in England are similar to the UK average.

For chronic lymphocytic leukaemia, there are few established risk factors therefore differences between countries largely reflect differences in diagnosis and data recording.

Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia (C91.1), Average Number of New Cases Per Year, Crude and European Age-Standardised (AS) Incidence Rates per 100,000 Population, UK, 2017-2019

  England Scotland Wales Northern Ireland UK
Female Cases 1,285 88 56 52 1,480
Crude Rate 4.5 3.1 3.5 5.4 4.4
AS Rate 4.5 3.0 3.2 5.9 4.3
AS Rate - 95% LCL 4.4 2.6 2.7 5.0 4.2
AS Rate - 95% UCL 4.6 3.4 3.7 6.8 4.5
Male Cases 2,141 173 86 72 2,472
Crude Rate 7.7 6.5 5.6 7.7 7.5
AS Rate 8.9 7.1 5.8 9.3 8.6
AS Rate - 95% LCL 8.6 6.5 5.1 8.1 8.4
AS Rate - 95% UCL 9.1 7.7 6.5 10.6 8.8
Persons Cases 3,426 260 142 124 3,952
Crude Rate 6.1 4.8 4.5 6.6 6.0
AS Rate 6.5 4.9 4.3 7.5 6.3
AS Rate - 95% LCL 6.4 4.5 3.9 6.8 6.2
AS Rate - 95% UCL 6.6 5.2 4.8 8.3 6.4
95% LCL and 95% UCL are the 95% lower and upper confidence limits around the AS Rate Open a glossary item

References

  1. England data were provided by the National Cancer Registration and Analysis Service (NCRAS), part of the National Disease Registration Service (NDRS) in NHS England, on request through the Office for Data Release, January 2023. Similar data can be found here: https://www.cancerdata.nhs.uk/ 

  2.  Northern Ireland data were provided by the Northern Ireland Cancer Registry (NICR) on request, October 2021. Similar data can be found here:http://www.qub.ac.uk/research-centres/nicr/. 

  3. Welsh data were published by the Welsh Cancer Intelligence and Surveillance Unit (WCISU), Health Intelligence Division, Public Health Wales https://phw.nhs.wales/services-and-teams/welsh-cancer-intelligence-and-surveillance-unit-wcisu/cancer-reporting-tool-official-statistics/ June 2022. 

  4. Scotland data were provided by the Scottish Cancer Registry, Public Health Scotland (PHS) on request, May 2021. Similar data can be found here: https://publichealthscotland.scot/publications/show-all-releases?id=20468

About this data

Data is for UK, 2017-2019, ICD-10 C91.1.

Last reviewed:

In the UK in 2017-2019, on average each year around 4 in 10 new cases (41%) were in people aged 75 and over.[1-4]

Age-specific incidence rates rise from around age 40-44 more steeply for males than females. Afterwards rates drop in the oldest age group for females and continue rising for males. The highest rates are in the 85 to 89 age group for females and the 90+ age group for males.

Incidence rates are significantly lower for females than males in a number of (mainly older) age groups. The gap is widest at age 30 to 34, when the age-specific incidence rate is 10 times lower for females than males.

Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia (C91.1), Average Number of New Cases per Year and Age-Specific Incidence Rates per 100,000 Population, UK, 2017-2019

For chronic lymphocytic leukaemia, like most cancer types, incidence increases with age. This largely reflects cell DNA damage accumulating over time. Damage can result from biological processes or from exposure to risk factors. A drop or plateau in incidence in the oldest age groups often indicates reduced diagnostic activity perhaps due to general ill health.

 

See also

Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia mortality statistics by age

Leukaemia (all subtypes combined) incidence statistics

Cancer incidence statistics by age for all cancers

References

  1. England data were provided by the National Cancer Registration and Analysis Service (NCRAS), part of the National Disease Registration Service (NDRS) in NHS England, on request through the Office for Data Release, January 2023. Similar data can be found here: https://www.cancerdata.nhs.uk/ 

  2.  Northern Ireland data were provided by the Northern Ireland Cancer Registry (NICR) on request, October 2021. Similar data can be found here:http://www.qub.ac.uk/research-centres/nicr/. 

  3. Welsh data were published by the Welsh Cancer Intelligence and Surveillance Unit (WCISU), Health Intelligence Division, Public Health Wales https://phw.nhs.wales/services-and-teams/welsh-cancer-intelligence-and-surveillance-unit-wcisu/cancer-reporting-tool-official-statistics/ June 2022. 

  4. Scotland data were provided by the Scottish Cancer Registry, Public Health Scotland (PHS) on request, May 2021. Similar data can be found here: https://publichealthscotland.scot/publications/show-all-releases?id=20468

About this data

Data is for UK, 2017-2019, ICD-10 C91.1.

Last reviewed:

Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia European age-standardised (AS) Open a glossary item incidence rates for females and males combined increased by 16% in the UK between 1993-1995 and 2017-2019.[1-4] The increase was of a similar size in females and males.

For females, chronic lymphocytic leukaemia AS incidence rates in the UK increased by 14% between 1993-1995 and 2017-2019. For males, chronic lymphocytic leukaemia AS incidence rates in the UK increased by 9% between 1993-1995 and 2017-2019.

Over the last decade in the UK (between 2007-2009 and 2017-2019), chronic lymphocytic leukaemia AS incidence rates for females and males combined decreased by 6%. In females AS incidence rates decreased by 7%, and in males rates decreased by 7%.

Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia (ICD-10 C91.1), European Age-Standardised Incidence Rates, Persons Population, 1993 to 2019

Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia incidence rates have increased overall in most broad age groups in females and males combined in the UK since the early 1990s, but have remained stable in some.[1-4] Rates in 0-24s have increased by 595%, in 25-49s have increased by 56%, in 50-59s have increased by 27%, in 60-69s have increased by 23%, in 70-79s have increased by 18% and in 80+s have remained stable.

Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia (ICD-10 C91.1), European Age-Standardised Incidence Rates per 100,000 Persons Population, By Age, UK, 1993-2019

For chronic lymphocytic leukaemia there are few established risk factors, therefore increasing incidence in the 1980s and 1990s may largely reflect improvements in diagnosis and data recording.

References

  1. England data were provided by the National Cancer Registration and Analysis Service (NCRAS), part of the National Disease Registration Service (NDRS) in NHS England, on request through the Office for Data Release, January 2023. Similar data can be found here: https://www.cancerdata.nhs.uk/ 

  2.  Northern Ireland data were provided by the Northern Ireland Cancer Registry (NICR) on request, October 2021. Similar data can be found here:http://www.qub.ac.uk/research-centres/nicr/. 

  3. Welsh data were published by the Welsh Cancer Intelligence and Surveillance Unit (WCISU), Health Intelligence Division, Public Health Wales https://phw.nhs.wales/services-and-teams/welsh-cancer-intelligence-and-surveillance-unit-wcisu/cancer-reporting-tool-official-statistics/ June 2022. 

  4. Scotland data were provided by the Scottish Cancer Registry, Public Health Scotland (PHS) on request, May 2021. Similar data can be found here: https://publichealthscotland.scot/publications/show-all-releases?id=20468

About this data

Data is for UK, 1993-2019, ICD-10 C91.1.

Last reviewed:

Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia incidence rates (European age-standardised (AS) rates Open a glossary item) in England in females are similar in the most deprived quintile compared with the least, and in males are similar in the most deprived quintile compared with the least (2013-2017).[1]

See also

Data table: Cancer incidence rates and excess cases by cancer type in England

Incidence by deprivation for all cancer types combined

Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia mortality by deprivation  (not directly comparable with incidence by deprivation)

Cancer incidence by deprivation for Scotland

Cancer incidence by deprivation for Wales

Cancer incidence by deprivation for Northern Ireland

References

  1. Calculated by the Cancer Intelligence Team at Cancer Research UK, April 2020. Based on method reported in National Cancer Intelligence Network Cancer by Deprivation in England Incidence, 1996-2010 Mortality, 1997-2011 . Using cancer incidence data 2013-2017 (Public Health England) and population data 2013-2017 (Office for National Statistics) by Indices of Multiple Deprivation 2015 income domain quintile, cancer type, sex, and five-year age band.

About this data

Data is for England, 2013-2017, ICD-10 C91.1.

Last reviewed:

An estimated 20,200 people who had been diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) between 1991 and 2010 were alive in the UK at the end of 2010.[1]

See also

Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) incidence statistics by sex and UK country

What is prevalence?

References

  1. Macmillan Cancer Support and National Cancer Registration and Analysis Service. Cancer Prevalence UK Data Tables. London: NCRAS; 2015.

About this data

Data is for: UK (1991-2010) and Northern Ireland (1993-2010), ICD-10 C911

Last reviewed:

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